Bridgewater College Teacher Education Program Lesson Plan

Name: Kathleen Leigh

Subject/Grade
Level:

Lesson Title:

Unit:

Introduction to Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day

ELL/Kindergarten

Date or Lesson
#:
1/28/16

Virginia SOL/National Standard:

K.1 The student will demonstrate growth in the use of oral language
b) Participate in a variety of oral language activities including choral and echo speaking and
recitation of short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated word order patterns.
K.8 The student will investigate and understand that shadows occur when light is blocked by an
object. Key concepts include
a) shadows occur in nature when sunlight is blocked by an object;
b) shadows can be produced by blocking artificial light sources.
Measurable Lesson Objective(s):
Students will sing the Groundhog song after listening to it once.
Students will be able to identify a shadow and its source (flashlight, sun).
Materials/Technologies/Resources Needed:
Pictures of winter and summer
Starfall- Groundhog Day Interactive Song
Groundhog Puppet 15 Groundhog cut-out
15 pencils
15 paper cones
Flashlight
Sight words on Cards
Groundhog cut out for card game
Assessment (Formative and/or Summative):
Teacher will listen as students sing the song, and repeat it until everyone is singing.
The teacher will ask each student to individually point to the shadow and the light source.
Anticipatory Set (Hook & Agenda):

Teacher will:

Students will:

Today we are going to learn

about Groundhog Day!

Accommodatio
ns/Differentiati
on:

Anticipated
Time:

Accommodatio
ns/Differentiati
on:

Anticipate
d Time:

.5 minute

Access /Review Prior Knowledge:

Teacher will:

Students will:

First, I want you to each answer a

question.
What season is it right now is it
Winter or Spring?

4 minutes

Each student will say either

Winter or Spring.

Is this a picture of Winter or of

Spring?
*Repeat for each student, and in
each one have a different set of
pictures.
Now you may all go sit down.
Teaching Process & Modeling (Content is presented, accessed or built)
Guided Practice & Checking for Understanding
Independent Practice
There is no prescribed order to this section; you must tailor the order to the students and the content. This should be the
longest portion of your lesson plan.

Teacher will:

Students will:

This is a picture of a groundhog.

Groundhogs are small animals,
they live in a burrow in the
ground.
On Groundhog Day people say
that if a groundhog comes out of
his burrow and doesnt see his
shadow Spring will come early!
However, if the groundhog does
see his shadow we will have 6
more weeks of winter.
Lets look at this online book. I

1 student at a time will come up

to click the groundhog to go to

Accommodatio
ns/Differentiati
on:

Anticipate
d Time:
1 minute

6 minutes

want you to listen as the first

time that you hear the words,
and then I want us to all sing
along together the second time!

the next part, then the will sit

down.
Sing along with online book.

Starfall- Groundhog Day

Interactive Song
What do you think the
Groundhog will see? Will he see
his shadow? Or will it be sunny
outside?

Now, we are going to make our

own groundhog and see if he can
see his shadow!
*Teacher will show students how
to make one step by step. And
hand out one material at a time.

Make their prediction.

5 minutes
First students will color the
groundhog.
Then they will tape the
groundhog to the pencil.
Then the will put the pencil in
the cup, or burrow.

The teacher can practice the

prepositions in and out by asking
students to move the puppet in
and out of the burrow.

The students can then pop the

groundhog in and out of the
burrow several times.
5 minutes

Now, lets see if you can see a

shadow after I turn the lights off.
*Teacher can use the flashlight if
the sunlight isnt strong enough.
Do you see the shadow. Where is
the groundhogs shadow?
Thats right! The paper
groundhog blocks the light from
the flashlight and so we see a
shadow! What do you think will
happen if I move the flashlight?
Thats right, when the light

The shadow is right here!

Students make guesses.. The

shadow will move

moves, the shadow will move.

Closure:
Teacher will:

Students will:

Very good class! So today we

learned about Groundhog day.
Groundhogs are a small animal
that lives in a burrow. People
say that if a groundhog sees
his shadow, spring will come
early! Tomorrow were going
to learn even more about
shadows.

Choose their sticker.

Accommodatio
ns/Differentiati
on:

Anticipate
d Time:
1 minute

Declarative Summary Statement: Groundhogs are a small animal that lives in a burrow. People say
that if a groundhog sees his shadow, spring will come early!
Activity If Extra Time Remains or Technology Fails:
Teacher will:

Students will:

Play Where is the Groundhog?

10 sight words written on cards
will be placed in front of the
students, the teacher will read
the words as she places them on
the ground. She will then ask
the students to turn around,
while she hides a paper
groundhog under one of the
words.
Students will take turns guessing
which word the groundhog is
under.

Accommodatio
ns/Differentiati
on:

To guess the student will read

and point to one of the sight
words. If they find the
groundhog the rest of the class
will turn around while the
student hides the groundhog.

Note: Attach or provide hyperlink to all handouts, external documents, resources, etc.

Anticipate
d Time:
Up to 10
minutes